Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Cultural Heritage: Environment Protection

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring greater protection to landscapes with a distinct literary (a) heritage and (b) value in planning policy.

Lee Rowley: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should recognise the character and beauty of the countryside, and local authorities are expected to protect heritage assets which can include landscape and setting of listed buildings.Substantial harm to, or loss of, the significance of designated heritage assets of the highest significance – including World Heritage Sites – should be wholly exceptional. A notable example of protected landscape is the Lake District, inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its rich cultural landscape in recognition of its importance to Wordsworth.

Buildings: Safety

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to introduce the Building Safety Levy.

Lee Rowley: We aim to implement the Building Safety Levy later this year, subject to Parliamentary approval of the secondary legislation required.

High Rise Flats: Fire Extinguishers

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the merits of making sprinklers mandatory in all high rise buildings.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of high rise buildings have sprinklers installed.

Lee Rowley: Under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a designated Responsible Person has an obligation to ensure that existing residential buildings have appropriate fire safety measures. Retrofitting sprinklers may, but might not always, be the right option and other fire safety measures could be taken that may be appropriate for an individual building. When new building work is undertaken, the Building Regulations set out the levels of safety and performance that is required and are supported by statutory guidance in Approved Documents. The Government amended Approved Document B Fire Safety in May 2020, reducing the trigger height for provision of sprinklers in new tall buildings from 30m to 11m.The Government does not hold information on how many and what proportion of high rise buildings have sprinklers installed. For occupied higher-risk buildings falling under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022, accountable persons are required as part of the Key Building Information to provide the Building Safety Regulator with a list of all fire and smoke control equipment within the higher-risk building. This includes whether there are sprinklers in the building. The Building Safety Regulator is planning to publish the Key Building Information later this year.

Households: Parking

Vicky Ford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of households that own a car that do not have a driveway.

Vicky Ford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of people living in (a) tower blocks and (b) residential properties without a driveway own cars.

Lee Rowley: The Department does not hold the information required to fully respond to this question. We do hold some data on parking facilities available to households and dwellings, published annually in Live Tables DA2201, DA2202, and DA2203 available online, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/amenities-services-and-local-environments.The Department does not collect data on households’ car ownership.

Social Rented Housing: Young People

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the nature of challenges to access social housing for people aged 16 to 24.

Jacob Young: Local Housing Authorities do not allocate social housing based on age. Social housing is prioritised for those in identified housing need by means of the statutory ‘reasonable preference’ (priority) requirements.

Social Rented Housing

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the report entitled Relationship of Equals, published by the Housing Ombudsman on 23 January 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a Royal Commission to create a long-term plan for social housing.

Jacob Young: We welcome the Housing Ombudsman’s spotlight report on attitudes, respect, and rights and we will consider its recommendations. We urge social landlords to do the same, and for them to reflect on how best to support vulnerable residents.The Social Housing Regulation Act is bringing in a tough new regulatory regime to support this Government’s commitment to driving up standards in social housing and holding landlords accountable for providing residents with decent homes.We are currently consulting on further changes that will improve social housing. These include Awaab’s Law, which will set strict time limits on fixing reported health hazards in social housing, and on Competence and Conduct standards, which will require senior managers and executives in organisations that provide social housing to have or be working towards a relevant qualification.

Housing First

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the impact of Housing First has on health inequalities for homeless people.

Felicity Buchan: We have commissioned an evaluation of the Housing First pilots, which is currently ongoing, reports are made available here.

Private Rented Housing

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of rent-to-rent schemes.

Jacob Young: We have worked with stakeholders representing both tenants and landlords to ensure our reforms deliver a fairer and more secure private rented sector, which includes the necessary provisions for the rent-to-rent sector.

Private Rented Housing: Discrimination

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle age-based discrimination in the private rented sector.

Jacob Young: Everyone is entitled to a safe and decent home, regardless of their age. The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver the Government’s commitment to ‘a fairer private rented sector’. Our reforms will improve the system for all responsible tenants, providing greater security and certainty of quality accommodation - including for the growing numbers of older people living in the private rented sector.

Levelling Up Fund: Scotland

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which constituencies have been allocated funding from the Levelling Up Fund in Scotland.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which constituencies in Scotland have not been allocated funding from the Levelling Up Fund.

Jacob Young: I refer the honourable Member to my answer to Question UIN11550 on 31 January 2024.

Private Rented Housing: Mould

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to increase protections for tenants in the private rented sector who are affected by mould and damp.

Jacob Young: The Government is committed to halving the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030 and we are clear that everyone deserves to live in a home that is decent, safe and secure. We have tabled amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill that will require private rented sector properties to meet a Decent Homes Standard for the first time. We are exploring the merits of a standalone damp and mould standard that all landlords, private and social, must meet.More information on our work on damp and mould in the private rented sector can be found in the answer given to Question UIN 11180 on 30 January 2024.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people have entered employment through the people and skills investment priority of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in each year since its inception.

Jacob Young: The number of people to have gained employment through UKSPF people and skills interventions so far is 2,609 – this was 282 in 2022/23, and 2,327 from April to 30 September 2023.A further update will be available once year end monitoring concludes after April 2024.

Local Government Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending local government funding settlements to place greater weight on need than local tax raising ability.

Simon Hoare: The local government finance system operates a needs-based approach. Funding allocations in the Local Government Finance Settlement reflect local circumstances, such as the demand for services from the local population and the cost of delivering those services in that authority. Funding allocations also take into account the differing ability for each council to raise revenue from council tax.The Government committed to prioritise stability and certainty for local government when we published the local government finance policy statement on 12 December 2022.However, the Government is committed to reforming the local government funding landscape in the next Parliament.

Council Tax

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which local authorities have the highest rates of (a) non-payment and (b) payment of council tax.

Simon Hoare: The Government annually publishes data on the collection rates of council tax, setting out the percentage of expected council tax income each billing authority collected in year. This data is available here.

Local Government Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending local government funding settlements to increase the proportion of Services Grants provided.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of multi-year funding settlements for local government.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of determining the local government funding (a) formula and (b) settlements by an independent body.

Simon Hoare: The Local Government Finance Settlement 2024-25 was published on 5 February and confirmed that the Services Grant will continue in 2024-25 and will be worth £87 million. The Services Grant has increased by £10 million from the amount consulted on in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2024-25.We know that local authorities value multi-year certainty, as this allows them to plan spending over the longer term. It is the Government’s intention to return to multi-year settlements in the next Parliament, when circumstances allow.In 2022, the Government confirmed reforms to the funding formula would not be implemented in this spending review after hearing calls from councils for stability. The Government remains committed to improving the local government finance landscape.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 11 January 2024 from the Rt hon. Member for East Ham, reference ST102443.

Lee Rowley: I apologise for the delay in responding to the Rt Hon Member's correspondence. The department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from Honourable Members. A response to the Rt Hon Member’s letter issued on 8 February 2024. I look forward to meeting him shortly to discuss these matters in more detail.

Department for Business and Trade

Horizon IT System: Prosecutions

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to exonerate sub-postmasters prosecuted due to the Post Office Horizon system.

Kevin Hollinrake: On 10 January, Government announced its intention to bring forward legislation to overturn the convictions of all those convicted in England or Wales on the basis of Post Office evidence during the Horizon scandal. This work is proceeding at pace and legislation will be introduced within weeks. These individuals will become eligible for compensation; this includes the upfront offer of £600,000 or to claim more via the individual claim assessment process. Compensation is already open to postmasters who were prosecuted but not convicted.

Databases

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business of 30 November 2023, Official Report, column 1054, what recent progress she has made on publishing the smart data roadmap.

Kevin Hollinrake: My officials are coordinating and leading the drafting on a roadmap which will set out the Government’s ambition for future Smart Data scheme development across seven different sectors. The Government plans to publish this in early 2024.

Small Businesses

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support the development of new small businesses.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government reaffirmed its commitment to all the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses with the creation of a new Small Business Council. The Council builds on the Department’s existing support for SMEs and will provide a bespoke forum for small businesses to have their voices represented within Government. The Help to Grow website is a one-stop shop for small businesses to clearly identify what funding they can access, webinars as well as the basics of setting up a business. Businesses can still access government-backed financial support from the Start Up Loans Company, which provides loans and support to new entrepreneurs.

Mining: Strikes

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of commissioning an independent review of criminal convictions during the miners strikes of 1984-85.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government does not believe that an independent review of criminal convictions during the miners' strike of 1984-85 is appropriate or necessary. Any individual who believes they have been wrongly convicted of a crime can make a request to the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission who can investigate and where appropriate refer cases back to the courts.

Mining: Strikes

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to provide a pardon to people convicted of certain offences related to the miners' strike committed between 12 March 1984 and 3 March 1985.

Kevin Hollinrake: The legislative programme for the current Parliamentary session has been announced. The Government has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals in this area.

Personal Care Services

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps she has taken to support the hairdressing, barbering, and beauty sector.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Chancellor announced in the 2023 Autumn Statement business rates support worth £4.3 billion over the next 5 years, including an extension of the 75 per cent relief for retail properties – a £2.4bn tax cut building on the previous £3.7 billion worth of business rates relief and nearly £8 billion of energy support in 2021 and 2022, along with £16bn business rates support throughout Covid-19. We’re also working with the British Beauty Council and others on improving the sector's talent pipeline. Overall, the sector is growing. The number of businesses in the sector in 2023 are 17% above 2017 levels[1], while output increased 1.1% in 2022 compared with 2021.[2] [1] ONS - UK business: activity, size and location, 2023. Statistics relate to SIC 9602.[2] ONS - GDP output approach – low-level aggregates, December 2023.

Postal Services: Standards

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Royal Mail on service delivery in (a) rural areas and (b) Leicestershire.

Kevin Hollinrake: Ministers and officials meet with Royal Mail regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the universal postal service provider. I recently met the CEO of Royal Mail’s parent company to raise concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. He recognised that the current level of service is not good enough and has said that improving quality of service is his top priority. I note that to improve performance Royal Mail has recruited an additional 3,000 postmen and is continuing to actively recruit new postal staff. I will continue to raise the issue if service levels do not improve.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

West Africa: Politics and Government

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help support (a) peace and (b) cooperation in West Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK uses our diplomatic presence to engage with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union, their member states and other African partners in support of regionally-led efforts to promote democracy, peace and stability. We support regionally-led coordination initiatives, such as the Accra Initiative, to help prevent the spread of violence and foster long-term stability. Through strategic defence and security partnerships with countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, we actively support African and regional security. I regularly discuss peace and cooperation with African leaders. I have recently discussed regional security with Ghana's Minister of National Security and with the President of ECOWAS, when I emphasised the need for regional coordination.

Gaza: Genocide Convention

Alan Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to help ensure the Israeli government's compliance with the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO Ministers hold regular meetings with their counterparts, including the Foreign Secretary's meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during his visit to Israel on 24 January.We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ's ruling is binding.We respect the role and independence of the ICJ. However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.The court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza is a position we have long advocated.We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will increase UK aid to Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. The Foreign Secretary discussed the urgency of getting significantly more aid into Gaza to alleviate the desperate situation there with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 24 January. He reiterated the need for Israel to open more crossing points into Gaza, for Nitzana and Kerem Shalom to be open for longer, and for Israel to support the UN to distribute aid effectively across the whole of Gaza. An immediate pause is now necessary to get aid in and hostages out.Israel must take steps, working with other partners including the UN and Egypt, to significantly increase the flow of aid into Gaza including allowing prolonged humanitarian pauses, opening more routes into Gaza and restoring and sustaining water, fuel and electricity.We have trebled our aid commitment for this financial year and are working closely with partners in international agencies and in the region to increase access. We have supported the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. 750 tonnes of life-saving food aid arrived in the first delivery and 315 tonnes in the second delivery. The Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mark Bryson-Richardson, is based in the region and is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching Gaza.

Gaza: Genocide Convention

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on compliance with the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO Ministers hold regular meetings with their counterparts, including the Foreign Secretary's meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during his visit to Israel on 24 January.We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ's ruling is binding. However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.The court's call for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid into Gaza is a position we have long advocated.We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

Gaza: Israel

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will place sanctions on Israeli (a) ministers and (b) members of parliament who participated in the conference entitled Settlement Brings Security on 28 January 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We were alarmed by the conference in Jerusalem calling for the resettlement of Gaza, and the fact that Israeli ministers participated. The UK's position is clear: Gaza is occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of the future Palestinian state. Settlements are illegal. No Palestinian should be threatened with forcible displacement or relocation.

Western Sahara: Self-determination of States

Alan Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is taking steps to help support self-determination for people in Western Sahara.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Western Sahara and will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process and monitor progress.

Myanmar: Politics and Government

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to help restore democracy in Myanmar.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK fully supports a peaceful, inclusive and democratic future for Myanmar. We work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), supporting their leadership on responding to the Myanmar crisis through their Five Point Consensus. We meet regularly with a range of pro-democracy actors, including the National Unity Government, to amplify their voice on the international stage, including at the UN Security Council, where we are the pen-holder on Myanmar. We continue to work with partners, including the EU, US and Canada, to impose sanctions against the military regime, denying them credibility and calling for a return to democracy.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Ruth Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the extent of police abuses in Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is committed to improving the security of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. We engage regularly with the UN, NGOs and the Government of Bangladesh on protection issues, and we spoke with the government about security issues last month. UK funding (over £373 million to the Rohingya response since 2017) includes ongoing support to protection services in the camps. We will continue to monitor the security situation in the camps.

Palestinians: Textbooks

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on the findings of the report published by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education entitled UNRWA Education: Textbooks and Terror, published in November 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We have discussed issues relating to the curriculum and textbooks with counterparts in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Authority. This specific report has not been discussed with the Commissioner-General, however we are aware of the findings. We take any allegation of the promotion of racism and discrimination extremely seriously. Any allegations of breaches of UN staff regulations and rules, including neutrality breaches, are reported to FCDO and investigated. We continue to urge all parties to condemn incitement wherever and whenever it occurs.

Angola: Corruption

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Angolan counterpart on supporting (a) investigation, (b) freezing, (c) seizure, and (d) recovery of any assets held in UK jurisdiction of individuals from that country under investigation for corruption; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime for those individuals.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK regularly engages with the Government of Angola to encourage all political parties to play a positive role in the democratic development of Angola. This includes engagement from the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit and the International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre who have provided assistance and training to Angolan authorities to support efforts to tackle corruption.Regarding Global Anti-Corruption sanctions, we continue to explore future use and implementation of our autonomous sanctions powers. Imposing sanctions is one response among other tools and we will continue to use a range of approaches to combat corruption globally. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

Africa: Female Genital Mutilation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps he has taken to help end female genital mutilation in (a) Sierra Leone and (b) other African states.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We advocate for a comprehensive approach to eliminating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that includes prevention and access to services. In Sierra Leone, we support the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls and their education. We tackle sexual gender-based violence by providing grants to survivor-led movements and changing societal beliefs and behaviours that underpin FGM through work with women and girl led civil society organisations. Globally, the UK has supported the Africa-Led Movement to End FGM since 2013 and is providing £35 million between 2019 and 2027 to grassroots African organisations leading change within communities. We also provide funding to the UN Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM which works with 17 national governments in Africa.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Kim Johnson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11223 on Morocco: Western Sahara, whether he has had discussions with his Moroccan counterpart on the imprisonment of Saharawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, as we regularly make clear to the parties. Human rights forms part of our bilateral dialogue with Morocco and we raise concerns with the Moroccan authorities as appropriate. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards.

Afghanistan: Girls

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with NGOs in Afghanistan on STEM teaching for girls in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Girl's education globally is a priority for the FCDO. The UK has not specifically engaged with NGOs in Afghanistan on STEM teaching for girls. Our support focuses on foundational learning, which includes numeracy, literacy and socio-emotional skills. We are working with the international community to press the Taliban to reverse their restrictive decisions on girls' education, while we continue to support the delivery of education, including through NGOs, UN partners, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Partnership for Education. Our bilateral support has enabled 125,000 children, of which 83,700 are girls, to access education between September 2022 and June 2023.

Afghanistan: Girls

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much has been spent on helping Afghan girls to study maths and science since 2021; and how much money has been allocated for that purpose for the next five years.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Providing girls with 12 years of quality and equitable education is a global FCDO priority. FCDO does not disaggregate our education spend by subject. The UK Government strongly condemns the restrictions the Taliban have imposed on Afghan women and girls, and we are working with the international community to press the Taliban to reverse their restrictive decisions on girls' education. We continue to support the delivery of education in Afghanistan, including through NGOs, UN partners, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Partnership for Education. Our bilateral support has enabled 125,000 children, of which 83,700 are girls, to access education between September 2022 and June 2023.

Montserrat: Development Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what the cost to the public purse was of Official Development Assistance funding to Montserrat in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

David Rutley: Montserrat remains stricken by volcanic eruptions which occurred 29 years ago. Through the FCDO's Budget Support Programme, we provided £23.6 million in Financial Year 2021/2022, £28.8 million in Financial Year 22/23 and are providing £30.32 million in Financial Year 2023/2024 to support critical public services. Through the FCDO funded Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth, we are providing £40 million over six years (2019-2025) to rebuild critical infrastructure, including a new hospital. The FCDO are providing £4.5 million through the Improving Essential Equipment for Aided Overseas Territories Programme from 2022-2024. Through FCDO administered CSSF Justice, Governance, and Border Security Programmes, we provide approximately £2 million annually, and we provided £1.86 million during the pandemic through the CSSF Covid-19 programme. We provide approximately £60,000 annually through the International Programme and the FCDO's UK's Caribbean Infrastructure Fund is providing £28.3 million to the Montserrat Port Development Project.

Ukraine: Fossil Fuels

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on the suspension of special permits for hydrocarbons in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: While we are in regular contact with the Ukrainian Government, the issue of special permits for hydrocarbon projects by the Ukrainian authorities has not been discussed. The UK government is engaged with the Ministry of Energy and Ukrainian companies on short-term energy security needs and has introduced a time-limited exemption to its international fossil fuel support policy for Ukraine. Longer-term solutions in the region and globally must focus on clean energy, to prevent long-term dependence on fossil fuels.

Spain: Waste Disposal

Beth Winter: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made recent representations to his Spanish counterparts on proposals for a waste facility at the site of a mass grave close to Fuencarral Cemetery in Madrid.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO are aware of this proposal and consider it to be a matter for the competent local Spanish authorities, who we understand have paused the project to investigate the land in question. We will continue to monitor developments.

UNRWA: Finance

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the pause of future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on the provision of emergency shelter for internally displaced civilians in Gaza.

Leo Docherty: The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA while we review the concerning allegations. Gaza still stands. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.We are currently supporting NGOs and UN partners to deliver medical aid and care in the Gaza Strip. This includes support for primary healthcare, trauma and emergency care services, disease surveillance and outbreak response, and deployment of Emergency Medical Teams.

Treasury

Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a comparative estimate of the funding the  Government has committed to spend with the amount spent on (a) Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS), (b) hydrogen production and (c) Direct air capture (DAC) since January 2020.

Gareth Davies: In the 2023 Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced up to £20bn for the deployment of CCUS in the UK. Commercial negotiations are ongoing. Up to £40m of the CCUS Infrastructure Fund is being spent under the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund. Under the Net Innovation Zero Portfolio (NZIP) the UK government has committed £25m to CCUS innovations.From the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), £60m has been committed to the Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removal Innovation Programme. Of this around £23 million is funding for the Direct Air Capture technology demonstration projects.Over £127 million has been allocated to hydrogen production projects from the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund. The first hydrogen allocation round (HAR1) will provide over £2 billion of revenue support from the Hydrogen Production Business Model, which will start to be paid once projects become operational from 2025. Hydrogen innovation projects have been allocated over £170m from the NZIP.

Fossil Fuels: Taxation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 October 2023 to Question 202953 on North Sea Oil and to the policy paper entitled Energy Taxes Factsheet, published on 17 November 2022, whether he plans to define taxpayers as investors in new fossil fuel developments.

Gareth Davies: Taxpayers are not considered investors in oil and gas. Oil and gas extraction in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf is a market orientated activity undertaken by commercial organisations. Those organisations and their investors, who choose to invest in this activity, do so to generate a commercial return and bear the associated risks, including the risks referred to in Question 202953.The role of government is to regulate the activity. As oil and gas is a national resource, the government also seeks to take a fair share of profits from exploration and production activities through the oil and gas tax regime.

Small Businesses: VAT

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of VAT thresholds on small businesses.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising VAT thresholds for small business.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will raise VAT thresholds for small businesses.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government recognises that accounting for VAT can be a burden on small businesses. This is why, at £85,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether. Views on the VAT registration threshold are divided and the case for change has been regularly reviewed over the years.In 2018, the Government consulted on how the design of the VAT registration threshold could better incentivise growth. However, there was no clear option for reform.While the Government keeps all taxes under review, it was announced at Autumn Budget 2022 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2026.

Electronic Cigarettes: VAT

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of banning disposable vapes on the level of VAT collected.

Nigel Huddleston: The Prime Minister has announced that disposable vapes will be banned in the UK as part of plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health. HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products, including VAT on disposable vapes. This is because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level within their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

Voluntary Contributions: British National (Overseas)

Alyn Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allow British National (Overseas) visa holders to back pay voluntary National Insurance contributions.

Nigel Huddleston: British National (Overseas) visa holders who live or work abroad (or have previously) are usually able to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for the previous six tax years where they have either previously lived in the UK for three years in a row or paid at least three years of contributions.For the tax years 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 the government has extended the deadline for paying voluntary contributions to 5 April 2025.The deadline has also been extended to 5 April 2025 for eligible customers to pay voluntary contributions for the tax years 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016. Further guidance on eligibility and deadlines for paying voluntary contributions, including for those living or working abroad is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Richard Foord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to help support people to regain access to their Government Gateway accounts who do not have the necessary physical documentation.

Nigel Huddleston: Users may regain access to their Government Gateway account by following a simple online process to recover their Government Gateway user ID and, if necessary, reset their password. Access to the email account used to set up the Government Gateway account is required to complete this process, but no documentation is required.

Self-employed: Taxation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending tax reporting periods for freelancers in the creative sectors.

Nigel Huddleston: The deadlines for individuals submitting self-assessment tax returns are prescribed in legislation. Individuals have specific reporting deadlines which are dependent on whether they submit their returns online or on paper.Individuals who might not know their exact profit by the relevant filing date may provide estimated figures in their return. They have 12 months from the filing deadline date to finalise their figures and make the appropriate amendment to their return.There is no provision within the legislation to make distinctions between individuals with different professions or vocations such as creative freelancers.There is however provision for a special relief for self-employed creators of literary or artistic works to average their profits over 2 years where certain conditions are met. This helps them even out fluctuating profits, smoothing their tax bills

Voluntary Contributions: British National (Overseas)

Sarah Owen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will alter the existing categories for voluntary National Insurance contributions up to 15 years to include British National (Overseas) visa holders by (a) creating a new category of eligibility for Class 2 and 3 voluntary contributions and (b) carving out an exception for BNO visa holders in the existing requirements for people who have previously worked overseas.

Nigel Huddleston: British National Overseas individuals who live or work abroad (or have previously) are usually able to make backdated voluntary National Insurance contributions payments for the previous six tax years where they have either previously lived in the UK for three years in a row or paid at least three years of contributions.For the tax years 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 the government has extended the deadline for paying voluntary contributions to 5 April 2025.The deadline has also been extended to 5 April 2025 for eligible customers to pay voluntary contributions for the tax years 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016. Further guidance on the eligibility and deadlines for making voluntary contributions, including for those living or working abroad is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions.The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Department of Health and Social Care

Prescriptions: Safety

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescription errors were recorded by NHS trusts in 2023; and how many were recorded as causing patient harm.

Maria Caulfield: The information is not available in the format requested. This is because the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) is a largely voluntary system, and during 2023 some National Health Service trusts transitioned to the NRLS’s successor, the Learn from Patient Safety Events service.In the NRLS, the number of actual or potential errors reported as occurring in 2023 at the prescribing stage of the medication process by NHS trusts was 34,388. Of these, 28,926 incidents were graded as no harm, 4,951 were graded as low harm, 463 were graded as moderate harm, 27 were graded as severe harm, and 21 were graded as deaths.

Abortion

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recent guidance issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on not reporting alleged illegal abortions to the police.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made of the implications for the Department’s policies following the recent Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidance for healthcare staff on involvement of the police and external agencies following abortion, pregnancy loss and unexpected delivery. Clinicians and health care providers have existing duties to handle patient information sensitively. The Department’s focus is on ensuring all women have access to safe and legal abortions on the National Health Service. Decisions to prosecute in England and Wales are for the Crown Prosecution Service.

MMR Vaccine

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help encourage vaccine uptake for measles in Coventry; what plans she has to tackle gaps in measles vaccination coverage (a) generally and (b) among vulnerable populations; and how she will assess the effectiveness of those plans.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with NHS England, the Department, and wider health system partners which include Coventry, at national, regional and local levels, to improve uptake of routine childhood immunisations and catch-up children who missed out.A range of information leaflets and promotional materials about the different vaccination programmes are available online, co-branded with the National Health Service. These include translations in a range of languages and braille, British Sign Language, large print and audio versions.Communications on the benefits and associated risks of vaccination are managed through a multi-stakeholder approach involving NHS England, NHS England regional public health commissioning teams, local authority public health teams involving education, and UKHSA. NHS England regional teams are also working to improve access to the vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.NHS England is changing how providers of school-aged vaccinations capture vaccination data to better allow providers to identify areas of low uptake and undertake targeted outreach to address inequalities. Coverage of childhood vaccines, including the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are measured when children reach their first, second and fifth birthdays. Official childhood vaccine coverage estimates are published annually by UKHSA and NHS England.Effectiveness will be monitored through the analysis of MMR activity using surveillance and operational databases. The National MMR catch-up programme will include an evaluation element. The school MMR approach includes evaluation using a standardised template and evaluation report from providers at the end of the programme.

Mental Health: Social Security Benefits

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on steps being taken to help mitigate the potential mental health impact of (a) conditionality groups and (b) welfare sanctions on claimants.

Maria Caulfield: Ministers hold discussions with other ministerial colleagues regularly on a range of issues.As set out in the Major Conditions Strategy: Case for Change and Strategic Framework, published in August 2023, we are currently working with stakeholders to develop a tool which will potentially support policymakers across Whitehall to examine the impact of their proposals on people’s mental health.

Maternity Services: Ethnic Groups

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with NHS England on improving awareness of inequalities in black and Asian maternal health outcomes amongst clinicians.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is committed to tackling and reducing disparities in health outcomes. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has not had specific discussions with NHS England about improving clinician awareness. However, the Maternity Disparities Taskforce, of which I am a co-chair, was established in February 2022 to tackle disparities for mothers and babies and reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.The taskforce brings together experts from across the health system, governmental departments, and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities. One of the key priorities of the taskforce at present is focusing on improving access to effective pre-conception and maternity care for women from ethnic minorities, and those living in the most deprived areas.NHS England has also published their Equity and Equality guidance for Local Maternity Systems, supported by a £6.8 million investment, which focuses on actions to reduce disparities for women and babies from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas.

Obesity

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings she has held with representatives from obesity charities and organisations since being appointed.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times she has met with representatives of the fast food industry since she was appointed.

Andrea Leadsom: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets regularly with external stakeholders on a variety of issues. These ministerial meetings are routinely published on a quarterly basis in arrears on GOV.UK.

Family Practitioner Services: Visual Impairment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS GP appointments for patients with eye conditions there were in the last 12 months.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP referrals of patients to eye specialists there were in the last 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom: The data is not held by the Department. NHS England publishes monthly data on General Practice Appointments, but this does not track patient-level data and therefore does not include a break-down of the conditions or symptoms a patient was seen for.Integrated care boards in many areas commission enhanced services from high street optical practices. This includes minor and urgent community eye care services, pre and post cataract checks and glaucoma monitoring, to help alleviate secondary care pressures.

Pharmacy: Training

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an NHS school of pharmacy in Hull.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential training needs of prospective pharmacists in Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: NHS England is actively engaging with local universities and other local stakeholders to explore the feasibility of new schools of pharmacy within the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.Any education provider who wishes to establish a school of pharmacy can seek further information and advice from the General Pharmaceutical Council, which is responsible for the accreditation of pharmacy education and training in the United Kingdom.The number of training places for pharmacists in England is uncapped and determined each year by health education providers. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion to fund additional education and training places over the next five years, sets out the ambition to increase training places for pharmacists across England by nearly 50% to around 5,000 by 2031/32, and to grow the number of pharmacy technicians. Increasing training places will increase the number of pharmacy students, including those choosing to study in schools of pharmacy in proximity to the Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

Transplant Surgery: Racial Discrimination

Dame Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help tackle racial inequalities in levels of organ transplantation.

Andrea Leadsom: Generally, patients from ethnic minority backgrounds on the transplant waiting list, wait longer than white patients for a transplant. For example, black patients wait six months longer for a kidney transplant than white patients. The best chance of a match is from an ethnically matched donor. Therefore, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is focussed on sharing the benefits of transplantation more equally and increasing consent levels for organ donation amongst ethnic minority communities.NHSBT raises awareness throughout the year, including during Organ Donation Week every September, with targeted social media, and press engagement. It also works with charities, community partners, celebrities, and influencers to amplify the need for donors from ethnic minority backgrounds. Since April 2023, NHSBT has invested £700,000 into 304 initiatives through the Community Grants Programme, targeting South Asian and black heritage communities, to align with clinical need.NHSBT is looking at systems as well as training and diversifying the network of Specialist Nurses and implementing national organ offering schemes, which play a key role in targeting inequalities. But more progress is needed, and everyone can help by signing up to the Organ Donor Register.

Dental Services: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the next NHS dental recovery plan will apply to Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom: State-funded healthcare within the United Kingdom but outside of England is a devolved matter, and the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to (a) consult experts on and (b) develop a strategy to help prevent foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government recognises that foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) can have a significant impact on the early years of development of children and their life chances. Officials regularly meet with third sector organisations and academics to discuss the risks and impacts of alcohol consumption in pregnancy.While we are not developing a specific FASD prevention strategy, we are taking a wide-ranging approach to reducing alcohol harms. Through the Drug Strategy, we committed an extra £532 million of funding over three years, through to 2024/25, to improve alcohol and drug treatment services. Local authorities are encouraged to develop programmes which provide tailored support to different populations, such as pregnant women. Some £27 million has been invested in establishing specialist alcohol care teams in a quarter of acute hospitals in England with the highest need, and we are providing approximately £300 million in funding to 75 local authorities through the family hubs and Start for Life programme. Family hubs funded through that programme are encouraged to provide full wrap-around support for families and pregnant women, which may include alcohol support services. The Department has recently consulted on the first ever United Kingdom-wide clinical guidelines on harmful drinking and alcohol dependence, which includes guidelines setting out how maternity, alcohol treatment and other healthcare professionals should support pregnant women to reduce or stop their alcohol use as quickly and safely as possible. The consultation closed on 8 December 2023 and a response will be published in due course.

Pregnancy: Alcoholic Drinks

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help ensure that all pregnant women are (a) asked about their alcohol intake and (b) supported in reducing and stopping this during pregnancy.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department published a Health Needs Assessment for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in September 2021, which identified areas of improvement and effective interventions. Subsequently, the Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a Quality Standard in England for FASD to help improve diagnosis, care, and awareness, including ensuring that all women are asked about their alcohol intake. It was published in March 2022, and is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs204 The United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines published in 2016 provide clear advice to women not to drink alcohol if they are planning for a pregnancy or are pregnant. This message is also included in the patient information leaflet recommended for use when giving brief advice to any adult identified as drinking above low risk levels, and in the National Health Service public-facing health information pages. The guidelines are available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80b7ed40f0b623026951db/UK_CMOs__report.pdf The Department is currently consulting on the first ever UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment. It includes guidelines setting out how maternity, alcohol treatment and other healthcare professionals should support pregnant women to reduce or stop their alcohol use as quickly and safely as possible. Additionally, the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is producing a resource for pre-conception care for women from minority ethnic communities and those living in the most deprived areas. This guidance will include information on drinking in pregnancy.

Food: Labelling

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to help improve the (a) clarity and (b) accuracy of allergen information on food labelling.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she will make an assessment of the adequacy of food labelling for people with allergies.

Andrea Leadsom: The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food.  The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels, so that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including food allergen labelling.All food businesses are under a legal obligation to provide information on the presence of the 14 major allergens in food, so that people who have allergies and intolerances are able to make safe food choices. The FSA carries out a range of research to ensure that this information is clear and accurate. It has recently carried out an evaluation of the prepacked for direct sale food labelling requirements introduced in 2021, and updated food labelling technical guidance for businesses following a consultation with consumers and food businesses on the application and understanding of allergen labelling.

General Practitioners: Training

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that all general practice clinicians have access to training on the (a) risk factors and (b) symptoms of liver (i) disease and (ii) cancer.

Andrea Leadsom: General practitioners (GP) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on liver disease and cancer, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All doctors registered in the United Kingdom are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, which gives patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice, and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance. The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners and must meet the standards set by the GMC.

Social Services: Vocational Guidance

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage school leavers to pursue a career in social care.

Helen Whately: We launched the latest phase of the adult social care national recruitment campaign Made with Care on 9 October 2023, with advertising appearing across catch up television, social media, radio and online, motivating suitable candidates to apply. We also recently launched the specification for a new level two occupationally based qualification so that staff joining adult social care can gain an early qualification on the job.The social care workforce remains at the heart of our reform plans. Our workforce reforms will provide the workforce with more support to develop and progress within their careers and will improve the quality, safety, and personalisation of care.

Dementia: Continuing Care

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the average length of time it takes for a person with Dementia to receive a completed care and support plan.

Helen Whately: NHS England is committed to delivering high quality care and support for every person with dementia, and central to this is the provision of personalised care and support planning for post diagnostic support. Information on the average length of time it takes for a person with dementia to receive a completed care and support plan is not collected centrally, and there are no plans to do so.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Alcoholic Drinks

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what proportion of cases presented at urgent care and emergency departments has alcohol been recorded as (a) a contributing or (b) major factor in the latest period for which data is available.

Helen Whately: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of attendances at accident and emergency departments in 2022/23 where an alcohol-related first diagnosis code is recorded, excluding cases where alcohol was a factor but not the main diagnosis:DescriptionAttendancesPercentage of total attendancesAlcohol intoxication (disorder)59,0700.25%Alcohol dependence (disorder)14,8840.06%Toxic effect of alcohol (disorder)2,1820.01%Uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal (disorder)14,4360.06%Alcohol withdrawal-induced convulsion (disorder)9,9970.04%Total100,5690.43% Source: Hospital Accident & Emergency Activity, 2022-23 from NHS Digital.

Stem Cells: Donors

Dame Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she expects the Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transplant State of the Registry report on stem cells to be published.

Andrea Leadsom: We expect the report to be published by the end of February 2024.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussion with her international counterparts on best practice in the management of alcohol use.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department works closely with other health departments on global health issues. The Government was actively involved in the work by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop an action plan to strengthen the implementation of the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. We were pleased that the action plan was adopted at the 75th World Health Assembly in May 2022. The United Kingdom will continue to work with the WHO and member states on alcohol harm reduction, and to share our learning.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to raise awareness of alcohol harm.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to supporting the most vulnerable and at risk from alcohol misuse, as well as raising awareness of its harms. To keep health risks at a minimum, the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officer’s low risk drinking guidelines recommend not regularly exceeding 14 units a week. The guidelines have been developed on the basis that people have a right to accurate information and clear advice about alcohol and its health risks.The Department continues to promote the guidelines in England through online platforms, and by encouraging producers to reflect the guidelines on the labels of alcoholic drinks. Local authorities also continue to promote these guidelines as part of their public health duties.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for alcohol (a) harm and (b) addiction services.

Andrea Leadsom: As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, we have invested £27 million for an ambitious programme to establish specialist Alcohol Care Teams in the 25% hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence-related admissions, alcohol-mortality, and deprivation. This is estimated to prevent 50,000 admissions over five years. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning services to prevent, mitigate and treat alcohol-related health harm, based on local need. As part of the Government’s 10-year drug strategy, we have made a record £532 million of additional investment through to 2024/25 to improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. This funding is in addition to the Public Health Grant and will improve the capacity and quality of drug and alcohol treatment. This funding is being targeted to areas of highest need first.

Pharmacy: Halesowen and Rowley Regis

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pharmacies in Halesowen & Rowley Regis constituency have signed up for Pharmacy First.

Andrea Leadsom: Statistics published by the NHS Business Services Authority show that there were 22 pharmacies in Halesowen and Rowley Regis on 31 December 2023. As of 31 January 2024, 22 Pharmacies had signed up to provide Pharmacy First.

Food: Labelling

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it his policy to implement Owen's Law in line with the recommendations of the Food Standards Agency.

Andrea Leadsom: The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.At the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) December 2023 board meeting, the board agreed a revised policy for provision of allergen information for food businesses selling non-prepacked food, such as coffee shops and restaurants. The new policy sets an expectation for these businesses to provide allergen information in writing as well as having a conversation. The board also agreed their preference would be for written information to be mandatory.As a non-ministerial department, the FSA cannot make legislation and has written to Ministers in England and Wales, the Executive in Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland for views on these matters.In the meantime, the FSA will develop guidance to implement this policy and provide support for food businesses on how to provide written allergen information to help drive up compliance and make it easier for people with a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease to make safe choices when eating out.

Department for Education

Carers

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Championing kinship care: national kinship care strategy, published on 15 December 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a portal to (a) centralise guidance and (b) help support (i) kinship carers and (ii) schools.

David Johnston: The department’s national kinship strategy, Championing Kinship Care, which was published in December 2023, has allocated £20 million in the next financial year to prioritise kinship care.One of the commitments in Championing Kinship Care is to deliver a package of training and support that all kinship carers across England can access from this spring.All training and information will be accessible via the supplier Kinship’s website, and the department currently has no plans to assess the merits of a centralised portal.

Pupils: Autism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on adapting school environments to support the needs of autistic students.

David Johnston: I refer the hon. Member for Huddersfield to the answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 11638.

Childcare: Fees and Charges

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the expansion in government funded childcare on the cost of paid for hours.

David Johnston: The department is providing over £4.1 billion by 2027/28 to fund 30 hours of free childcare per week (38 weeks per year) for eligible working parents with children aged 9 months to 3 years in England. This will remove one of the biggest barriers to working parents by vastly increasing the amount of free childcare that working families can access. Hundreds of thousands of children aged 3 and 4 are already registered for a 30-hour place, saving parents up to £6,000 a year. The department is expanding this entitlement across the country, which will save parents up to £6,500 per year per child. This will help even more working parents with the cost of childcare and make a real difference to the lives of those families. By 2027/28, the Office for Budget Responsibility expects around 60,000 parents to enter employment, in addition to 1.5 million mothers of young children already in work who will increase their working hours.In addition to the expanded entitlements, the government has also taken action to support parents on Universal Credit with childcare costs upfront when they need it, rather than in arrears. The department has increased support for these parents by increasing the childcare cost maximum amounts to £950 for one child and £1629 for two children.Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children. This can save parents up to £2,000 per year, or up to £4,000 for eligible children with disabilities, and has the same income criteria as 30 hours free childcare.

Autism

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, What progress her Department has made on implementing the Government's Autism Strategy 2021-2026; and what steps she plans to take to implement the objectives in 2024.

David Johnston: The department worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to develop a refreshed cross-government autism strategy, which was published in July 2021 and includes children and young people. The national strategy sets out the department’s vision to make life fundamentally better for autistic people, their families and carers by 2026.The department has made significant progress on implementation of the strategy.Examples of key actions taken have included:The department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan in March 2023. The plan sets out how the department aims to improve mainstream education, including for autistic children and young people, by setting standards for the early and accurate identification of need and timely access to support to meet those needs. For those children and young people with SEND, including those who are autistic, who do require an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and specialist provision, the department will ensure that they get access to the support they need and that parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this.The department provided comprehensive professional development and support for the education workforce to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those who are autistic, through the Universal Services contract. This offers autism awareness training and resources which align with the all-age autism strategy. Over 135,000 professionals have undertaken this autism awareness training since the Universal Services programme began in May 2022.The department is developing practitioner standards, as part of the new national standards, to support frontline professionals. This will include a practitioner standard on autism, to be published by the end of 2025.The department is investing approximately £18 million until 2025 to build capacity in the supported internships programme and support more young people with EHC plans into employment. This includes up to £10.8 million in grant funding available to local authorities.The department is offering all state schools and colleges a grant to train a senior mental health lead by 2025, enabling them to introduce effective whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Over 14,400 settings have claimed a grant so far, including more than seven in ten state-funded secondary schools.The department is continuing to roll out mental health support teams (MHSTs) to schools and colleges to expand access to early mental health support. The department is extending coverage of MHSTs to at least 50% of pupils in schools and further education in England by the end of March 2025.The department is funding training for up to 7,000 early years (EY) staff to gain an accredited Level 3 EY Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) qualification. Training is available to SENCOs working in group-based and childminder settings, with places targeted to specific areas based on levels of disadvantage.The department is providing over £3 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who have SEND.The department is investing in the Free Schools programme, which is committed to improving SEND provision across the country. There are currently 108 open special free schools and a further 76 approved to open.The department funds the Participation Contract, a three-year contract running from April 2022, ending March 2025. The total cost of the contract is £18.39 million which includes consortium, Parent Carer Forum grants and the strategic reform partnership contract. The Contract aims to strengthen the participation of parents and young people, including those who are autistic in the design of SEND policies and services and ensure that they are able to access high-quality information, advice and support.In 2024, DHSC is prioritising updating the Autism Act statutory guidance by working across government, including with the department, to support the NHS and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people in line with the national autism strategy. This updated guidance will be subject to public consultation in 2024. Delivery of the cross-government actions set out in the national autism strategy remains a priority for 2024 and progress will continue to be monitored.

Offences against Children

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2024 to Question 8408 on Offences against Children, whether she plans to take further steps with Cabinet colleagues to incorporate Article 19 into UK legislation (a) in non-online contexts and (b) other than through the Online Safety Act 2023.

David Johnston: The government remains committed to protecting and upholding children’s rights. The department is confident that existing domestic legislation gives effect to the rights within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child, including Article 19.The Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004 set out a range of duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Furthermore, the government’s multi-agency statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ is clear that children at risk of or experiencing harm from within or outside their home must receive the support they need, recognising harms may arise from school, peer groups, online or the wider community. This guidance was updated in December 2023 to strengthen multi-agency working across the whole system of help, support and protection. More information on the guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.Importantly, the department introduced new national multi-agency child protection standards setting out what every individual, at every level, in every agency should do to work together and understand their role, to improve child protection practice and outcomes for children. The department has also strengthened expectations about the role of other agencies, including police and health, in child protection processes.

Pupils: Autism

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing guidance on how to adapt school environments to support the needs of autistic students.

David Johnston: The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are, to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department aims for children to achieve well throughout their education, to find employment, to lead happy and fulfilled lives and to experience choice and control. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools must make reasonable adjustments to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. Additionally, under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person who has Special Educational Needs, including those who are autistic, gets the special educational provision they need. The SEND Code of Practice is clear that teachers are expected to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed. In the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the department sets out its vision to improve mainstream education through setting standards for the early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and who is responsible for securing the support. This will give parents confidence and clarity on how their child’s needs will be met. As part of this, the department has committed to developing practitioner standards, which were known as practice guides in the Improvement Plan, to provide advice to education professionals. These will set out evidence-based best practice in identifying and meeting individual needs. The department will publish three practitioner standards by the end of 2025, one of which will be focused on autism. The department will begin building on existing best practice and will include guidance on how an education environment may be adapted to better support the needs of autistic pupils. Additionally, the department’s Universal Services contract brings together SEND-specific continuous professional development and support for the school and further education workforce to improve outcomes for children and young people, including those who are autistic, through one programme, which aims to reach 70% of schools and colleges in England per year. The contract offers autism awareness training and resources. Over 100,000 professionals have undertaken autism awareness training since the Universal Services programme commenced in May 2022. There is no specific guidance for adapting physical school environments to support autistic students. However, the department does publish a range of guidance documents, including Building Bulletins, which support the provision of inclusive learning environments. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employers-requirements-part-b-generic-design-brief. The Building Bulletins which have particular relevance to designing inclusive environments for children and young people with SEND, including those who are autistic, are the following:BB93, ‘Building Bulletin 93: Acoustic Design of Schools - Performance Standards’, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bb93-acoustic-design-of-schools-performance-standards.BB101, ‘Building Bulletin 101: Ventilation of School Buildings’, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.BB104, ‘Area guidelines for SEND and alternative provision’, which defines area standards by setting out non-statutory area guidelines for buildings and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f23ec4e8fa8f57ac968fb11/BB104.pdf.

Care Leavers: Employment

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current employment rate is for care leavers, 12 months after leaving local authority care.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support care leavers with their move into employment.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support care leavers with their move into training.

David Johnston: The latest data for the year ending March 2023 shows that 38% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 are not in education, employment or training, compared to 13% of their peers in the general population.Improving care leavers’ outcomes is a government priority and the department has established a care leaver Ministerial Board, co-chaired by the Secretaries of State from the Department for Education and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and including Ministers from 12 other departments, to consider what more can be done collectively to improve care leavers’ outcomes.The department’s broader ambitions for reform of children’s social care are set out in the response to the independent review carried out by Josh MacAlister, which is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/642460653d885d000fdade73/Children_s_social_care_stable_homes_consultation_February_2023.pdf.In relation to supporting care leavers to engage and succeed in education, employment and training, the department has:Established the Civil Service Care Leaver internship scheme, which has resulted in nearly 1,000 care leavers appointed to roles across government departments.Continued to extend the care leaver covenant, with over 400 businesses having signed up and published their offer to care leavers, including John Lewis, Sky, Amazon and the NHS.Increased the care leaver apprenticeship bursary from £1,000 to £3,000.Provided £24 million in 2023 to 2025 to increase the support provided by virtual school heads to care leavers in 16 to 19 education.Begun work to develop an accreditation scheme for further education and higher education providers who have a strong support package in place for care leavers.

Youth Custody: Children in Care

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many minors in care have been taken into custody in the last 12 months; and how many children who have lived in care are currently serving a custodial sentence.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to provide rehabilitation support to children who have lived in care who are in police custody or serving custodial sentences.

David Johnston: The department recognises that children in care are more likely than their peers in the general population to have contact with the criminal justice system. That is why, in 2018, the department published a joint national protocol with the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), on reducing the unnecessary criminalisation of looked after children and care leavers. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-protocol-on-reducing-criminalisation-of-looked-after-children. Since its publication, the proportion of children in care aged 10 to 17 who are charged with an offence or receive a caution has reduced from 3% in 2019 to 2% in 2023.Latest data for the year ending March 2023 also show that 3% of care leavers age 19 to 21 were in custody. This figure has remained the same for the last five years.All care leavers are entitled to a Personal Adviser to support them in making the transition from care to independence. Personal Advisers are required to keep in touch with the young person, work with them to develop a mandatory pathway plan and to advocate on behalf of the young person. If a care leaver receives a custodial sentence, their Personal Adviser is still expected to keep in touch, through visiting the young person in prison, and to maintain the young person’s pathway plan.Through the care leaver Ministerial Board, the department is working closely with MoJ to improve support and outcomes of care-experienced people in the criminal justice system. MoJ is currently updating its strategy for people with care experience, to ensure that their time in the criminal justice system is used to support them to lead crime-free lives. MoJ is aiming to publish this strategy in 2024.

Apprentices: Taxation

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of how many and what proportion of businesses have used their apprenticeship service account to transfer unused levy funds to SMEs in each of the last three years.

Robert Halfon: Transfers are a way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in any other business, including smaller employers, flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities to help meet local or sector-specific needs.Levy-paying employers have been able to transfer 25% of their annual funds since April 2019, when this was increased from 10%, and have been able to use an online service since 2021 to make the process quicker and simpler. Since September 2021, over 500 employers, including ASDA, HomeServe and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £33 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes.The table below shows the number and proportion of levy-paying employers that have used their apprenticeship service accounts to transfer funds to non-levy paying employers in each of the last three financial years. The department does not hold transfer data specific for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), but can confirm that SMEs represent most non-levy employers on the apprenticeship service.Financial Year2020/212021/222022/23Number of levy paying employers that have transferred funds to non-levy employers.390520580Proportion of levy paying employers that have transferred funds to non-levy employers.2.0%2.5%2.7% When reviewing these figures, it is important to note that only unused funds can be transferred. Some employers make full use of their levy funds and so have no funds to transfer.

Apprentices: Standards

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on updating apprenticeship standards; and what representations she has received from business stakeholders on these standards.

Robert Halfon: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the hon. Member for Bosworth, and a copy of this reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Training

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the HGV skills boot camp.

Robert Halfon: A statistical release published in November 2023 showed that there were 5,710 learner starts in total in HGV Skills Bootcamps between April 2022 and March 2023. Sustained provision of Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving has been welcomed by the road freight sector, which has seen high levels of ongoing demand for these training places. This was also evidenced in an implementation report on delivery in the 2021/22 financial year, which showed that Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving was oversubscribed in comparison with other sectors. Further insights into the effectiveness of Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving will be set out in the publication of our completions and outcomes report for Skills Bootcamps delivery later this year for the 2021/22 financial year.

Education: Autism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations in the Education Report 2023, published by the National Autistic Society on 30 May 2023.

David Johnston: The department is aware of the recommendations outlined in the National Autistic Society’s (NAS) Education Report. The department regularly engages with the NAS, for instance testing the reforms set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan.​​The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their SEND, to receive the right support to succeed in their education, and as they move into adult life. The department wants them to achieve well in their early years, at school and in further education, to find employment, lead happy and fulfilled lives, and to experience choice and control.​​In the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, the department set out its vision to improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will clarify the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings and who is responsible for securing the support. This will give parents confidence and clarity on how their child’s needs will be met.​

Education: Autism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled Outcomes of the review of the initial teacher training core content framework and early career framework, published in January 2024, whether her Department held discussions with autistic people and their families as part of that review.

Damian Hinds: The department has reviewed the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework alongside the Early Career Framework (ECF) during 2023, in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation and groups of sector experts, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) specialists. This included a public call for evidence. Following this review, the updated and combined Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) was published on 30 January 2024, for delivery from 2025.The department’s review of content for the ITTECF paid particular attention to the needs of trainees and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) when supporting pupils with SEND. There is now significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND, some of which has been adapted from the new National Professional Qualification for Special Educational Needs (SEN) Coordinators to be relevant for trainees and ECTs. The department has also made some edits to existing statements to improve inclusivity for SEND throughout the framework.Recognising the importance of ensuring trainees and ECTs are confident in supporting pupils with SEND to succeed. The department will also be enhancing the requirements on ECF lead providers when creating SEND exemplification materials.The ITTECF is based on the best peer-reviewed evidence about what works and is designed to emphasise the importance of high-quality teaching. The framework therefore deliberately does not detail approaches specific to particular additional needs, such as autism, but what makes the most effective teaching. When reviewing the frameworks in 2023, the department tested this approach with SEND educational experts, with the consensus that the approach of ‘quality-first teaching’ would be the best way to improve outcomes for all children, particularly those with SEN.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Labelling

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to conduct a review of the current penalties for non-compliance with food labelling regulations.

Mark Spencer: Food labelling rules are enforced independently by local authorities. When assessing food stuffs for non- compliance, Trading standards officers adhere to an established hierarchy of enforcement actions, ranging from improvements notices to criminal charges resulting in custodial sentences and unlimited fines. There are no current plans to review penalties on general food information law, and these rules, as is standard procedure, are subject to periodic post implementation review.

Animal Diseases: Research

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to commission research into developing a vaccine to protect livestock from the Schmallenburg virus.

Mark Spencer: A vaccine for Schmallenberg virus was authorised for use in the UK in 2015. The marketing authorisations are still valid for GB and NI, but the vaccine is not commercially available in the UK at present.

Farmers

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) literacy levels, (b) learning disabilities, (c) internet access and (d) the (i) length and (ii) number of communications on the accessibility of her Department's communications to farmers.

Mark Spencer: During the agricultural transition we are supporting farmers and land managers with varying rates in literacy and internet capabilities through the changes. The October 2023 Farmer Opinion Tracker (published 7 February 2024) found farmers on 74% of holdings said they either had all or most of the information they need for business planning; or that they knew where they could find information. We test the readability and users’ understanding of content language via user research panels made up of farmers and in consultation with farming membership bodies and charities. To further ensure our offer is accessible we have provided free support to over 18,000 farmers through the Farming Resilience Fund. The support has included group workshops, one-to-one advice from experts and farm visits. We have also funded the Farming Advice Service which provides free, confidential advice both in person and over the phone to help farmers and land managers in England understand farming policy and their legal requirements.

Hedgehogs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of hedgehogs.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to taking action to recover our threatened native species, such as hedgehog. In England, we have set four legally binding targets; to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042.The Environment Act 2021 introduced several policies, such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities, which will work together to support the creation and restoration of habitat which will benefit native species. In addition, our environmental land management schemes will provide farmers, foresters and other land managers with financial support to engage in a wide range of measures which will deliver positive benefits for native species, including hedgehog. For example, as hedgerows are an important habitat for hedgehogs, funding the creation, restoration and maintenance of hedgerows through the Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes, will support the recovery of the species.

Sugar Beet: Neonicotinoids

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to emergency authorisation of Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops in 2024, what discussions his Department has had with British Sugar on support for farmers who choose not to use Cruiser SB on their crops, including about (a) processing and (b) marketing of neonicotinoid-free sugar.

Mark Spencer: On 1st November 2023, Defra hosted a roundtable with members of the British sugar industry and environmental NGOs to discuss British Sugar’s action plan, the Virus Yellows Pathway to find alternative methods to neonicotinoids in controlling Virus Yellows in the British sugar crop. The roundtable allowed British Sugar to present their work to date, as well as allowing the opportunity for Defra and our external partners to encourage further work in this area. Of particular emphasis was the need for British Sugar to encourage peer-to-peer learning between sugar beet farmers. This would allow farmers who opt not to use neonicotinoids to share knowledge and help expedite the transition to neonicotinoid free farming, which I encourage British Sugar to take forward at pace.

Sugar Beet: Neonicotinoids

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he considered the prevention principle when making his decision on the emergency authorisation of Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops in 2024.

Mark Spencer: The environmental principles policy statement requires the government to apply the prevention principle in the development of policy. It is not applied when decisions are taken under existing policy/legal frameworks, as was the case for the consideration of the emergency authorisation for Cruiser SB. A full statement of reasons for the decision on the application for emergency authorisation for the use of Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops in 2024 can be found here.

Sugar Beet: Neonicotinoids

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the environmental impact of the use of the product Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops.

Mark Spencer: If Cruiser SB is used on the 2024 sugar beet crop, the sugar beet industry will be required to carry out a range of environmental monitoring activities as a condition of the emergency authorisation. This will be supplemented by several government-funded monitoring projects. The overall programme will include the monitoring of residues of thiamethoxam (the active ingredient in Cruiser SB) and its metabolite, clothianidin, in the environment, to gain a better understanding of potential exposure to non-target organisms. This will include monitoring the soil of treated fields; the soil, vegetation, and pollen from field margins; and rivers in sugar beet catchments. Detail of similar monitoring programmes carried out after an emergency authorisation for Cruiser SB was granted in 2023 can be found within the HSE’s emergency registration report on Cruiser SB, published on GOV.UK.

Neonicotinoids

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many compliance inspections his Department made to ensure that the conditions of the emergency authorisation of Thiamethoxam were met in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023; and what proportion of inspections found non-compliance with those conditions.

Mark Spencer: There is no specific programme of enforcement/compliance visits exclusively focused on Cruiser SB use, or for any other Emergency Authorisation. All pesticide use in the UK is regulated through HSE’s overarching programme of enforcement and compliance. This includes intelligence-led monitoring and enforcement activities to ensure that the supply and use of pesticides complies with legal requirements. In line with the terms of the Emergency Authorisation granted for this year, if Cruiser SB is used on sugar beet seeds, growers are required to participate in a stewardship scheme, which includes requirements for the correct use of treated seed. All sugar beet growers are supported through the season by weekly monitoring and advice provided by the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO). This provides a robust support mechanism to drive effective stewardship. As part of the stewardship scheme, the applicant must monitor soils and plants following use of the treated seed at key indicator sites and report back to the Health and Safety Executive at the end of the season of use.

Marine Protected Areas

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Nature recovery to be accelerated as the government delivers on measures to protect land and sea, published 31 January 2024, if he will publish a consultation on restrictions on bottom-towed fishing gear in the remainder of England’s offshore Marine Protected Areas.

Mark Spencer: We have completed the first two stages of our programme to manage damaging fishing activity in England’s offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). For the remaining MPAs, the Marine Management Organisation has issued calls for evidence to seek stakeholder views and build the evidence base to inform the development of any byelaws needed to allow MPA conservation objectives to be achieved. As before, any necessary byelaws will be subject to public consultation.

Fisheries: Licensing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to issue a condition on all fishing licences to prevent vessels from using bottom-towed gear to fish within marine protected areas.

Mark Spencer: The designation and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Nearly 60% of the 181 English MPAs are already protected from damaging fishing activity by byelaws including those announced on 31 January this year. Byelaws are preferred rather than licence conditions in MPAs because they can be introduced on a site-by-site basis to ensure that measures can be tailored to meet the conservation objectives of each site and without unnecessarily restricting fishing activity. Providing the fishing industry and other stakeholders with the opportunity to work closely with management authorities to shape these byelaws is crucial to their long-term success.

Animals: Fireworks

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce the distress to animals caused by fireworks displays.

Mark Spencer: It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal, and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment. A number of animal welfare and veterinary organisations provide advice and guidance to enable people to minimise the impacts of fireworks on animal welfare. We will be working closely with these organisations to amplify this messaging in the run up to, and during, key dates when fireworks are commonly used.

Lawn Mowers: Environment Protection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of petrol leaf blowers on the environment.

Robbie Moore: When conducting our annual assessment of air pollutant emissions, we include petrol powered leaf blowers in the “Residential: Household and gardening (mobile)” category (regardless of whether they are used in a residential setting or not). Our latest assessment (National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory 2021) is that in 2021, this sector, which also includes petrol-powered lawn mowers, chainsaws etc, contributed a total of 3.5 tonnes of PM2.5 (0.004% of the UK total of 83.2 kilotons) and 328.8 tonnes of NO2 (0.05% of the UK total of 677.1 kilotons). Leaf blowers are an important tool for many in the landscaping and horticultural trades. As we continue our transition towards Net Zero we will look at ways to encourage a switch to non-fossil fuelled machinery, including mains and battery powered landscaping and horticultural equipment such as leaf blowers. The Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001 regulate certain types of outdoor machinery to control the noise they produce, in order to reduce environmental impact, particularly in urban areas. The regulations list all the equipment they apply to, which includes leaf blowers, and set permissible sound power levels that must not be exceeded.

Dangerous Dogs

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department is providing to XL bully dog owners who were unable to neuter their dog before the deadline.

Mark Spencer: Owners who applied for a Certificate of Exemption by 31 January 2024 must provide evidence of neutering to Defra by the relevant deadlines to ensure that their certificate remains valid. We provided extended neutering deadlines so that owners did not need to wait to have their dog neutered before applying for a Certificate of Exemption. Dogs that were older than one year old on 31 January 2024, must be neutered and evidence received by 30 June 2024. Dogs that were younger than one year old on 31 January 2024 must be neutered and evidence received by 31 December 2024. We recommend that owners arrange for their dogs to be neutered as soon as possible to meet these deadlines.

Dangerous Dogs

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department is providing to people who were unable to register their XL Bully dogs before the deadline on how to (a) remain compliant with the law and (b) ensure that their dog is not at risk of being destroyed.

Mark Spencer: Applications for a Certificate of Exemption to keep an XL Bully dog opened on 14 November and closed at midday on 31 January. This date was set out in legislation and gave owners over two months to apply. It is now against the law to keep an XL Bully dog without a valid Certificate of Exemption, and new exemptions can only be authorised by a court order. If owners think they have an XL Bully dog and do not have a Certificate of Exemption, we advise that they should contact their local police force.

Veterinary Medicine: Regulation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timescales are for the publication of the results of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations consultation; and what plans his Department has to introduce changes to the Veterinary Medicines Regulation 2013.

Mark Spencer: The Government response to the consultation on the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 was published on 2 February. We intend to lay the Statutory Instrument, which will amend the Regulations, before Parliament by the end of February.

Meat Products: Smuggling

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to detect the illegal carrying of meat products into the UK.

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent the spread of African Swine Fever to the UK.

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of risk posed to the UK by the spread of African Swine Fever.

Mark Spencer: African swine fever (ASF) cases in Germany in 2022 represented new “jumps” in disease distribution towards the United Kingdom, following similar movements elsewhere in Europe. While we consider that the overall risk of entry of ASF virus into the UK from all combined pathways remains at medium, the particular pathway of human-mediated transport of non-commercial, infected products from the EU is considered to be high risk (please see the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s risk assessments for more detail). As a result, we announced controls restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain (GB) to help safeguard Britain's pigs (please see further information here). Travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms into GB, unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards. The controls, which came into force in September 2022, strengthen the standards for bringing pork and pork products into GB from the EU and EFTA states. This measure helps limit possibly infected pig meat being brought into GB through various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles. The measure does not apply to commercial imports, which remain unaffected by the control. There are Defra-sponsored checks carried out under the ASF safeguard measure and enforced by Port Health Authority officers and Border Force officers at ports and airports.

Donkeys and Horses: Tagging

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory microchipping for all (a) horses, (b) ponies and (c) donkeys.

Mark Spencer: The Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 brought in a mandatory requirement from October 2020 for all horses, ponies and donkeys to be microchipped, including those born prior to 30th June 2009, which were not required under previous legislation. The one exception to this regulation is a derogation for qualifying wild and semi-wild equines that do not leave the designated areas of Dartmoor, Exmoor, the New Forest and Wicken Fen. There is equivalent legislation in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Meat: Labelling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to undertake a consultation on the labelling of non-stun slaughter meat.

Mark Spencer: There are no Regulations that require the labelling of non-stun slaughter meat, but where any information of this nature is provided it must be accurate and must not be misleading to the consumer. The Government respects religious freedoms and expects the industry, whether food producer or food outlet, to provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices. As recently announced by the Secretary of State, we will soon be launching a consultation on clearer food labelling. This will include proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling, including options for the production standards behind them. Our proposed standards initially focus on the period of time the animal spends on farm. We will seek views through consultation on these standards, including the period of life which they should cover.

Livestock Worrying

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the potential cost to farmers of dog attacks on farm animals in the last 12 months.

Mark Spencer: National Farmers Union (NFU) Mutual data shows that insurance claims costs of dog attacks on farm animals rose to more than £1.8 million in 2022. In 2022 the National Sheep Association reported that, on average, there was a cost of £1,232 per farmer per year as a result of livestock worrying. The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause animals and their keepers. The Government is currently supporting a Private Members’ Bill to amend the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953. The measures in the Bill will greatly strengthen the existing legislation and are vital in tackling the issue of livestock worrying.

Environment Agency: Staff

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff have been employed by the Environment Agency for each year since 2015.

Robbie Moore: Environment Agency Workforce numbers (as at 31 March each year)YearTotal2014/15102352015/16103402016/17108962017/18100062018/19104292019/20107902020/21105862021/22109242022/2312368Dec-2313282

Animal Products: Imports

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the number of hunting trophies imported in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Rebecca Pow: The UK records data on import permits for hunting trophies of certain species. An import permit is required for hunting trophies of all species listed on Annex A of the Wildlife Trade Regulations, and 6 species listed on Annex B. Data on the international trade in endangered species, including information about UK imports of hunting trophies, is published in the CITES trade database (available online at trade.cites.org. For 2022, 14 instances of hunting trophies imported into GB are recorded. The UK will be submitting data for 2023 imports in due course, which will be publicly available later this year.

Forest Products: Origin Marking

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish guidance for businesses on verifying the origin of imported forest risk commodities to the plot of land where they were grown under Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021.

Rebecca Pow: The Government committed to tackling illegal deforestation in UK supply chains through the Environment Act in 2021 and announced further details of the secondary legislation at COP28 in December 2023. This law will make it illegal for organisations with a global annual turnover of more than £50m to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used. Our regulations will not require information on the plot of land where commodities were sourced. However, regulated organisations will have to put in place due diligence systems—and will have to report on these systems—in order to lower the risk that there are prohibited forest risk commodity products in their supply chains to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable. Initial secondary legislation will focus on four commodities identified as key drivers of deforestation: cattle products (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy. We are committed to laying the secondary legislation to tackle illegal deforestation in the United Kingdom's supply chains and plan to do so in Spring of this year. Initial guidance will be published alongside this legislation, to support organisations in meeting their due diligence obligations.

Non-native Species

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to control the prevalence of (a) floating pennywort, (b) Himalayan balsam, (c) signal crayfish, (d) Japanese knotweed and (e) American mink.

Rebecca Pow: The Government recognises the threats posed by invasive species and has a comprehensive Great Britain Non-native Species Strategy designed to co-ordinate action to tackle these threats. Floating pennywort, Himalayan balsam and signal crayfish are listed as a ‘Species of Special Concern’ under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, which means that they cannot be brought into GB, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. This legislation is aimed at preventing further introduction and spread of these species. Japanese knotweed and American mink are listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to allow American mink to escape into the wild, and to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild. Floating pennywort, Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed control.In partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, Defra is funding specialist scientists at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), an inter-governmental, not-for-profit organisation, to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of naturally occurring, living organisms to tackle floating pennywort, Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed. Biocontrol could provide a more cost- and time-effective way of managing these invasive plants as compared to manual removal. Before any release of biocontrol agents, experts at CABI conduct extensive research and safety testing to ensure that native species will not be targeted, and then obtain formal approval to release them. This research is in its early stages, and releases at trial sites are ongoing for a weevil from Argentina, Listronotus elongatus, that targets floating pennywort; a psyllid from Japan, Aphalari itadori (a sap-sucking insect), that targets Japanese Knotweed; and a rust fungus that targets Himalayan balsam. Information about the research can be found on the CABI website and additional information can be found on the Japanese Knotweed Alliance website.Defra is also part of a national partnership formed between government and non-government organisations that developed the Great Britain Floating Pennywort Strategy to manage this invasive plant. Additionally, the Government run awareness raising campaigns such as ‘Be Plant Wise’ and Invasive Species Week. These campaigns provide species information and online training materials on biosecurity for industry and the general public. The Government has also developed guidance on how to prevent the spread of invasive non-native plants, and how to treat and dispose of them, which can be found on GOV.UK:How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Signal crayfishTo support on-going management of large and damaging populations of signal crayfish in a feasible, effective and economically viable way Defra has put in place management measures for this widely spread species with containment and exclusion zones for signal crayfish. This approach prevents spread through restricting and controlling the commercial use of the species and preventing the live movement of the species entirely. This is aimed at preventing its continued spread into uninfected waterbodies in England. American minkNatural England are funding 5 partner-led projects (2023-25) which will be controlling mink to benefit water vole populations through the Species Recovery Grant Scheme. The total value of these projects is £479k and include projects to build on the work carried out in East Anglia to develop a mink free area stretching from Lincolnshire to the ThamesIn the last financial year for which there is data, 2022/23, the Environment Agency spent £136,800 on 8 projects that controlled mink. The Environment Agency’s partners (including local authorities, Natural England, water companies and eNGO’s) contributed an extra £126,900 to those projects. Local Action Group fundingLocal Action Groups, with support from government, play an invaluable role in actively reducing and eradicating invasive non-native species.  Defra is currently funding twelve Local Action Groups (LAGs) across all regions in England to control invasive species through its Local Invasive Species Management Fund. The two-year fund totalling just over £300,000 is being used by LAGs mostly to remove invasive plants including floating pennywort, Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed. A small number of LAGs are conducting mink trapping and signal crayfish control. Most of these projects also involve training volunteers, awareness-raising and community engagement.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.

Rebecca Pow: The duty does not require us to maintain a comprehensive list of policies within scope of the duty. The duty applies to all policies made from 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are: made by Ministers of the Crown; andnot covered by the exemptions for the armed forces, defence or national security, taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government. The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty. Examples include strategies and frameworks.

Electronic Training Aids

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 will come into force on 1 February 2024.

Mark Spencer: The Government remains committed to banning the use of electronic training collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric shock to cats or dogs in England. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way.

Hornets

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help eradicate Asian hornets from the UK before spring 2024.

Rebecca Pow: In 2023 the National Bee Unit (NBU) – part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) - located and destroyed 72 Asian hornet nests. The NBU has been taking action against Asian hornet since 2016 and has a fine-tuned response. They frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported. Previously the highest number of nests the NBU had dealt with in one year was 4. Nevertheless, the NBU drew on further resources from wider APHA to provide an effective response to this unprecedented number of Asian hornet nests. Asian hornet is inactive over winter, normally between November and March. During this period any new queens released from nests in the autumn hibernate. Only a proportion of these will survive and go onto create new nests in spring. Therefore, no further contingency action will be taken until the spring when the hornets start becoming active. We are developing further plans for 2024 which will be announced prior to the spring. The NBU will continue to respond to credible sightings of Asian hornet and eradicate any nests that are located.

Darwin Initiative

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of not permitting representatives of organisations which apply for Darwin funding from serving on (a) Darwin Initiative Extra and (b) the Darwin Expert Committee.

Rebecca Pow: Under its last three funding rounds, the Darwin Initiative received applications from 915 organisations. To robustly assess applications against published criteria, Defra requires technical experts with relevant experience and knowledge. If we were to prevent experts with links to these 915 organisations from joining the Darwin Expert Committee, we would significantly compromise the Committee's capability to technically assess and make recommendations to Defra. This is why Defra put in place a robust conflicts of interest policy, where members are required to declare their interests and recuse themselves from the assessment of any application in which they have an interest.

Darwin Initiative: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2023 to Question 5477 on Darwin Initiative: Finance, if he will appoint independent experts to the Darwin Expert Committee to decide grant applications.

Rebecca Pow: Decisions on which Darwin Initiative grants to award are taken by Defra. The Darwin Expert Committee technically assesses proposals and provides its' recommendations to Defra for consideration. Defra appoints new members to the Committee following an open and competitive recruitment process, based on their capabilities and technical expertise and not to represent the organisation for which they work. To ensure the independence of the advice provided by the Committee, Defra has in place a robust conflicts of interest policy, where members are required to declare their interests and recuse themselves from the assessment of any application in which they have an interest. Under its last three funding rounds, the Darwin Initiative received applications from 915 organisations.

Home Office

Bereavement Counselling: Training

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidance issued to register office staff on supporting families with a bereavement.

Chris Philp: The General Register Office for England and Wales is responsible for ensuring that all deaths occurring within England and Wales are registered in accordance with the law. This forms part of the UK’s system of civil registration. Register office staff are required to record certain personal details of the deceased, such as their name and date of birth/age, place, date, and cause of death.The General Register Office has no responsibility to provide register office staff with guidance to support families following a bereavement.

Industrial Disputes: Orgreave

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will open an independent public enquiry into the conduct of the police at Orgreave coking works during the 1984-85 miners' strike.

Chris Philp: There are no plans to establish a public inquiry into the policing of the events at the Orgreave coking plant on 18 June 1984.

Refugees: Ukraine

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainians have applied for refugee status in the UK outwith the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme since March 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum by nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications is published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2023. Data up to the end of 2023 will be published on 29 February 2024.Further information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many ARAP applicants awaiting a decision are residing in UK hotels as of 30 January 2024.

Tom Pursglove: Relocation to the UK is only facilitated once ARAP eligibility status has been decided and entry clearance has been issued, therefore there are no ARAP applicants awaiting an immigration decision residing in UK hotels.The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to resettle.Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. The latest published Immigration system statistics - (www.gov.uk) show that (up to the end of September 2023) we have brought around 24,600 people to safety from Afghanistan and the region.These statistics also show that:We have relocated 11,684 under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP); and1,674 people were living in interim accommodation (i.e. hotels and serviced accommodation) during this period (though this number changes frequently, and most of those within interim have now moved into settled accommodation) as of September 2023.ARAP arrivals correct as of around December 2023, and accommodation data, will be reflected in the next release of the Immigration Statistics, which is due around 22 February 2024.

Ministry of Justice

Housing First: Offenders

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the Housing First programme on levels of offending behaviour.

Edward Argar: Following the Government’s manifesto commitment to expand Housing First, DLUHC launched three Housing First pilots in the West Midlands (WMCA), Greater Manchester (GMCA) and Liverpool City Region (LCRCA) in May 2018. Since then, DLUHC’s expert advisers have been working closely with each of the three pilot regions to monitor and support progress.DLUHC has published several evaluation reports during the pilots’ lifetime and will publish a final synthesis report following the pilots’ end. The evaluation will include findings on offending history and contact with the criminal justice system. DLUHC will use the findings of their evaluation of the Housing First pilots, together with their experiences from the three pilots, to inform next steps.The Ministry of Justice will collaborate with DLUHC to contribute to the development of the next steps for Housing First to ensure that those with an history of offending are supported effectively through the service going forward.The evaluation reports are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-first-pilot-national-evaluation-reports.

Prisoners on Remand

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total number of remand prisoners was in each prison on HMPPS estate as of 1 January 2024.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice holds data on the number of remand prisoners in each prison in the HMPPS estate. This information is routinely published in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) Prison Population Data Tool (latest file here). The data can be accessed by selecting the ‘custody type’ view in the PT tab. The latest data is from 31 December 2023.

Prisoners on Remand

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time spent on remand was, broken down by prisoner (a) gender, (b) ethnicity, (c) age and (d) status as a Foreign National Offender in 2023.

Edward Argar: Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.

Probation Service: Sick Leave

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days of long term sick leave were recorded by probation staff in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Edward Argar: The working days lost due to long term sickness for probation staff by calendar year is given in Table 1 below.Table 1: Working days lost to sickness absence, for long term sickness for probation service staff - 2021 to 2023 (full time equivalent)Calendar yearLong Term  Working Days Lost2021122,5402022158,7371 January to 30 September 2023119,591NotesInformation for 2023 is only available up to 30 September as that is the latest published position.Long Term sickness is defined as a period of sickness consisting of 29 or more calendar days.Working Days Lost are adjusted for individual FTE i.e. if someone is part time with less than 1 FTE their Working Days Lost will be adjusted accordingly.The next set of data for the period to 31 December 2023 is due to be published in the HMPPS Quarterly Workforce Statistics Bulletin on 15 February 2024.During the years listed above, the number of staff in post have increased, this has impacted on the number of days lost to long term sickness absence.HMPPS is focused on reducing its sickness absence rates through the support currently offered to staff and managers, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides the workforce with access to confidential support and counselling services. This is in addition to the organisation’s Occupational Health Service that supports staff & management with medical advice, and HMPPS’ multitude of staff networks that are part of HMPPS’ commitment to ensuring our staff feel supported in their roles.

Prisons: Sick Leave

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days of long term sick leave were recorded by prison staff in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Edward Argar: The working days lost due to long term sickness for prison staff by calendar year is given in Table 1 below.Table 1: Working days lost to sickness absence, for long term sickness for prison staff - 2021 to 2023 (full time equivalent)Calendar yearLong Term  Working Days Lost2021254,0882022241,3481 January to 30 September 2023159,105NotesInformation for 2023 is only available up to 30 September as that is the latest published position.Long Term sickness is defined as a period of sickness consisting of 29 or more calendar days.Working Days Lost are adjusted for an individual’s FTE i.e. if someone is part time with less than 1 FTE their Working Days Lost will be adjusted accordingly.The next set of data for the period to 31 December 2023 is due to be published in the HMPPS Quarterly Workforce Statistics Bulletin on 15 February 2024.The numbers of absence rates attributed to long term sickness have seen a reduction in the years above, which is a significant improvement.HMPPS is focused on reducing its sickness absence rates through the support currently offered to staff and managers, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides the workforce with access to confidential support & counselling services. This is in addition to the organisation’s Occupational Health Service that supports staff & management with medical advice, and HMPPS’ multitude of staff networks that are part of HMPPS’ commitment to ensuring our staff feel supported in their roles.HMPPS are actively reviewing their approach to staff wellbeing to strengthen the wellbeing offer. Managers support employees who are unwell and are provided HR casework support to appropriately manage employee absence in line with established policies & procedures.

Department for Transport

Electric Vehicles: Motorcycles

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11316 on Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the reduction in the plug-in motorcycle grant on the number of sales of electric-powered light vehicles.

Anthony Browne: The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant (PIMG) remains open to applications for L1e (mopeds) and L3e (motorcycles) category vehicles until at least the end of the current financial year.Government grants have been available for over a decade to help reduce the up-front purchase price of electric vehicles. Since the introduction of the PIMG in 2011, the market shares for L1e category vehicles and L3e category vehicles have increased to 40.6% and 3.3% respectively. All the Plug-in Vehicle Grants remain under continual review by the Government to ensure they deliver the greatest value for money to the taxpayer.

Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11316 on Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions, whether his Department has taken recent steps to review the grant and incentivisation structure since the publication of the Action Plan in February 2022.

Anthony Browne: The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant (PIMG) remains open to new applications for L1e and L3e category vehicles until the end of the current financial year.Since the publication of the Action Plan in February 2022, the PIMG has undergone continual review to ensure that it is effective in stimulating the growth of the electric-powered light vehicle market, and provides the best value for money to the taxpayer. The Government is currently evaluating the most effective incentives for supporting the future development of the electric-powered light vehicle market, and industry more widely in its transition to zero-emission vehicles.

Railways: Fares

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of proposed rail fares for 2024-25; and if he will take steps to ensure fares do not rise further.

Huw Merriman: The Government is continuing to support passengers with cost-of-living pressures with another significant intervention on rail fares, capping increases at 4.9 per cent, significantly below the July 2023 Retail Prices Index (RPI) figure of 9 per cent, which has historically been used to calculate fares changes.The lower fare cap comes after the Government delivered its target to halve inflation by the end of the year.This year’s increase builds on last year’s unprecedented intervention, which saw the Government cap the increase for 2023 at 6.4 percentage points lower than the 2022 July RPI figure. This means the Government will have helped keep ticket prices more than 9 per cent lower than what passengers would have paid if rises matched the RPI benchmark in the last two years.

Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11316 on Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions and with reference to the policy paper entitled Future of Transport: supporting rural transport innovation, published on 2 October 2023, if he will publish further guidance on L-category vehicles.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2024 to Question 11316 on Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on the potential merits of using powered light vehicles to support emissions reduction in the last six months.

Anthony Browne: The Local Authority Transport Decarbonisation Toolkit provides advice to Local Authorities (LAs) on actions they can take to reduce transport carbon emissions, including through case studies and signposting to other published guidance and methodologies. A chapter on zero emission powered light vehicles will be published shortly, to inform LAs and raise awareness of the vehicle type, highlighting potential benefits and use cases, and setting out the steps to take to adopt and further integrate these vehicles in local areas, should they choose to do so.

Shipping: Registration

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) shipowners and (b) vessels were flagged on the UK Ship Register in each year since 2021.

Guy Opperman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) UK ship Register (UKSR) database is live and is not able to identify the number of vessels and shipowners historically.

UK Shipping Concierge

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) annual budget and (b) full-time headcount is for the UK Shipping Concierge in 2023-24; and what the estimated budget is for 2024-25.

Guy Opperman: The annual budget for the UK Shipping Concierge for the financial year of 2023/2024 was £549,054. The full-time headcount for the UK Shipping Concierge in the financial year of 2023/2024 is five. The estimated budget for the UK Shipping Concierge for the financial year of 2024/2025 is £459,704.

Shipping: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 24 May 2022 on UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, HCWS50, what progress the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions’ has made on working with the (a) Department for Education and (b) National Shipbuilding Office on maritime skills.

Guy Opperman: UK SHORE, through Department for Transport officials, work with the Department for Education and National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) to advance shipbuilding and maritime skills and as the new NSO-led Shipbuilding Skills Delivery Group (SDG) is established. The SDG will oversee and drive delivery of the recommendations of the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, following the publication of its report in September 2023.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants whose claims were closed in 2020 because they failed to accept their claimant commitment subsequently successfully challenged the (a) claimant commitment and (b) case closure.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants whose claims were closed in 2021 because they failed to accept their claimant commitment subsequently successfully challenged the (a) claimant commitment and (b) case closure.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants whose claims were closed in 2022 because they failed to accept their claimant commitment subsequently successfully challenged the (a) claimant commitment and (b) case closure.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants whose claims were closed in 2023 because they failed to accept their claimant commitment subsequently successfully challenged the (a) claimant commitment and (b) case closure.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit Programme Board

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions an issue at the Universal Credit Programme Board has been escalated to the Portfolio Board in each year since 1 January 2018.

Jo Churchill: There has not been an occasion where an issue raised at the Universal Credit Programme Board has required escalation to the Portfolio Board.

Universal Credit Programme Board

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish details of (a) external bodies and (b) other Government departments that are members of the Universal Credit Programme Board.

Jo Churchill: Membership as of February 2024 include HMRC, HMT, Department for Communities Northern Ireland, Infrastructure & Projects Authority/Cabinet Office, Reigate & Banstead District Council (representing Local Authorities).

Universal Credit Programme Board

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have attended the Universal Credit Programme Board in each year since 1 January 2018.

Jo Churchill: In line with best practice in Government Projects, Ministers are not normally members of Project Boards for projects in the GMPP. This is because under the Ministerial Code, SROs have direct accountability for the delivery of their projects progress to Parliament. The Minister for Welfare Delivery attended the UC Programme Board once in 2020 and twice in 2021.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Electricity: Prices

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofgem on the potential impact of recent changes in off-peak night rates on Economy 7 electricity tariffs on households which use electricity to heat their homes in comparison with other households.

Amanda Solloway: As the demand for electricity during the night-time period has grown, energy suppliers have had to pay significantly more to purchase that electricity for their customers. In turn, this is reflected in rising night-time rate for time-of-use tariffs The setting of tariffs, including for peak and off-peak periods for ‘Time-of-Use’ tariffs (such as Economy 7), are a commercial matter for individual energy suppliers.

Energy: Prices

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the impact of different levies for gas and electricity on heating bills.

Amanda Solloway: Several crucial environmental and social policy costs are funded ('levied') through consumer bills to reduce the burden on the taxpayer. These schemes are vital to developing domestic sources of low-carbon electricity to reduce our exposure to volatile global fossil fuel markets and protect consumers in the long term. A list of the current schemes that are funded through households and business energy bills is on the Ofgem website. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes For households on default tariffs, Ofgem's published methodology for the price cap sets out how these costs should be passed to consumers, for instance the split between electricity and gas. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap

Energy: Prices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support families that are not eligible for universal credit support with their heating bills.

Amanda Solloway: Energy prices have fallen significantly compared to last winter, and the Government is continuing to support those most in need. Millions of vulnerable households are receiving up to £900 in further Cost of Living Payments, with an extra £150 to those on eligible disability benefits, in addition to established financial support available for low income and vulnerable households through the Winter Fuel Payment and the Warm Home Discount. The Government has announced an increase to the National Living Wage benefiting around 2.7 million workers, an increase to benefits of 6.7%, and tax cuts which will benefit around 27 million people.

Energy: Standing Charges

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions her Department has had with Ofgem on the equitability of standing charges.

Amanda Solloway: I regularly meet with Ofgem to discuss the energy retail market, including standing charges. Ofgem’s recent Call for Input (CfI) on standing charges closed on January 19th 2024. The Call for Input seeks to gain greater understanding on how standing charges are applied to energy bills and what alternatives could be considered. Government welcomes this and looks forward to Ofgem’s conclusions. Further information on the CfI may be found online at: www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/launch-review-standing-charges-energy-bills

Energy: Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the economic impact of Ofgem's current energy pricing structures on (a) businesses and (b) residents of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

Amanda Solloway: The setting of tariffs is a commercial matter for individual suppliers. Suppliers can decide how they structure their tariffs as long as they do not lead to households paying above the relevant maximums set by Ofgem under the price cap. There is no price cap for businesses. To help protect North of Scotland consumers from high local electricity distribution costs, the Government’s Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme provides an annual cross-subsidy of around £112m. It is funded via suppliers across GB, saving a typical North of Scotland household over £60 each year.

EDF Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to EDF's media release entitled January 2024 project update, published on 23 January 2024], whether her Department had discussions on the scale of (a) overruns and (b) overspends announced in that update before that information was published.

Andrew Bowie: Hinkley Point C (HPC) is not a Government project and its financing is a matter for EDF and its shareholders. The Department engages regularly with EDF on HPC’s progress and related matters. Officials were aware the HPC were likely to make an update to cost and schedule in advance, with the precise details only being shared at the time of publication.

Fossil Fuels: Licensing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies on domestic fossil fuel licencing of the global stocktake agreement at COP28.

Graham Stuart: The UK is a world leader in phasing out unabated fossil fuels and was pleased to help negotiate the Global Stocktake at COP28. UK oil and gas production will, with new licences, decline by 7% a year - which is faster than the global decline required to align with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 1.5°C pathways. Issuing new licences will reduce higher emission imports and retain vital capabilities in the sector that are vital to the transition to clean technologies. This is consistent with the agreement at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.

Oil: Carbon Emissions

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the estimated carbon emissions are from the import and export of oil in the UK.

Amanda Solloway: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 January to Question UIN 10547

Energy: Meters

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether existing smart meters will need to be replaced when the UK's 2G and 3G networks are phased out in 2033.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is working closely with industry to ensure a smooth transition of services when 2G/3G communication services are switched off by the end of 2033. In premises where smart meters have reached the end of their expected lifespan, they will be replaced with a new smart meter as part of business-as-usual activity. Where smart meters are within their lifespan we expect suppliers to upgrade communications hubs, without the need to replace the smart meter itself.

Energy: Meters

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the management of the Data Communications Company's smart meter network will transfer from O2 to Vodafone.

Amanda Solloway: The transfer will occur from 2025 until the end of 2033, when the smart metering communications service in the Central and South regions of Great Britain will have been transitioned to a 4G service using the Vodafone network.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that authorisation of requests from allies and partners for access to UK air bases is compatible with the UK's international legal obligations.

James Heappey: All flights by foreign military-registered aircraft and civil aircraft operating under Government status are required to apply to the Ministry of Defence for Diplomatic Flight Clearance whenever they wish to use a UK air base. The basis on which a foreign partner may or may not be granted permission to utilise UK air bases is dependent on the nature and purpose of their activity and reflects the UK's international legal obligations.

Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will review the practice of routinely authorising requests from allies and partners to access UK air bases following the interim ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel).

James Heappey: All flights by foreign military-registered aircraft, and civil aircraft operating under government status, are required to apply to the Ministry of Defence for Diplomatic Flight Clearance whenever they wish to enter UK airspace or use a UK air base. The Diplomatic Flight Clearance policy is a longstanding and robust practice. The basis on which a foreign partner may, or may not, be granted permission to utilise UK air bases is dependent on the nature and purpose of their activity.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Pashto and Dari language specialists have worked on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme in each month since April 2021.

James Heappey: Between October 2021 and January 2022 three Pashto and Dari language specialists worked on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Two have been working on the ARAP scheme since February 2022.